Cord for attaching plants and the like to supports



March 1940- E. w. TWITCHELL CORD FOR ATTACHING PLANTS AND THE LIKE TO SUPPORTS Filed NOV. 23, 1937 Patented Mar. 12, 1940 means UNITED STATES PATENT oFric-E 2 com) on ATTACHING PLANTS AND THE Lnn: T0 SUPPORTS I Ear-1 w. Twitchell, Fiaddonfield, N. J. Application November 23, 1937, Serial No. 176,131 1 Claim. (01. 57-151} .This invention is directed to an improvement in means for attaching plants, shrubs and vines to stakes, trellises, poles and like-supporting elements or structures, and a principal object of the invention is toprovide a binding medium of novel characteristics affording a materially higher functional efficiency and facility of attachment and adjustment than the cords and rafiia heretofore employed for this purpose. I

For the horticultural uses mentioned above, a cord should have .a number of clearly defined properties. It must, for example, berelatively soft so as to avoid possible damage by abrasion to the growing plant. It should be of relatively F small gauge and inconspicuous so as not to affect adversely nor unduly disturb the natural'al pBarance of the plant to which it is attached, and at the same time it must have sufficient tensile strength to properly and adequately support the plant and to withstand the severe strains to which it may frequently be subjected as the size and weight of the plant increase.v The cord or twine conventionally employed satisfactorily meets the first of the aforesaid requirements, but it is sometimes diflicult to obtain a cord suitable for. the purpose possessing the required tensile strength and which at the same time is suificiently small in gauge to meet the further requirement of inconspicuousness. The conventional cord, lacking inherent stiffness, has the further disadvantage of being excessively limp, so that considerable difficulty is frequently experienced in passingthe cord through-or around or otherwise at-- taching the cord properly to the plant, and also in knotting the free ends of the cord to hold it in place. In tying the cord, care must be taken to produce a knot that will be proof against slipping, and when such a knot is produced, it is difficult thereafter to release the cord in order to make the periodic adjustments required to accommodate the growth of the plant. These disadvantages attaching to the use of the conventional cords are a recognized source of consider able annoyance to the amateur horticulturalist, but have a definite economic significance to the professional owing to the fact that they are a potential source of considerable loss of time and money.

I have discovered that it is possible to produce a relatively inexpensive binding medium which lacks all of the disadvantageous characteristics of the conventional cords and possesses other highly desirable characteristics, not present in the conventional cords, which render it ideally suited for horticultural usage. This medium,

which is of composite form as hereinafter de.

scribed, possesses in full degree the essential characteristics of softness, pliability, and relatively great tensile strength coupled with rela-' tively small gauge size. It possesses in addition a degree of stiffness which materially facilitates its manipulation in attaching it to the plant, and may be fastened in position without necessity for knotting the ends and by readily releasable means permitting rapid adjustments to compensate for plant growth.

In a preferred embodiment of my invention, a binding medium having the desirable characteristics described above consists of a composite cord consisting of a core of wire and a sheath or envelope of paper. In a composite strand of this character, the wire core affords high tensile strength and a degree of stiffness coupled with complete flexibility. The paper'envelope functions as a relatively soft pad or cushion between the hard wire and the plant, and protects the latter against damage by abrasion or cutting.

The inherent stiffness in this composite cord, in directcontrast to the limpness of the conventional cord, materially simplifies the processiof leased for the purpose of adjustment, as hereinbefore described. a

A cord made in accordance with my invention is capable of manufacture by economic production methods and at low material cost, so that the composite cord is relatively inexpensive to the consumer, and is, in fact, a cheaper product than many of the functionally inferior twines and cords heretofore conventionally employed for the same purpose. Furthermore, the characteristics of my cord may readily be varied in manufacture to suit any special requirements. It is apparent, for example, that the characteristics of stiffness, tensile strength and pliancy may be regulated accurately by selection of the character or composition of the wire core employed; and that the degree of softness in the envelope may be similarly accurately regulated by selection of the material or materials of which the envelope is composed. In this latter respect, it is to be noted that the envelope may consist of various materials other than paper, such, for

example, as cotton, woolen or jute fabric, Cellophane, grass, straw, and many other materials suited to the requirements.

In the attached drawing:

Figure 1 shows the essential parts of a machine that may be used in the production of a cord made in accordance with my invention;

Fig. 2 is a view in perspective of a fragment of the composite cord;

Fig. 3 is a similar View of a fragment of a modified form of composite cord made in accordance with my invention;

Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic view of mechanism suitable for manufacture on a production basis of the cord illustrated in Fig. and

Fig. 5 is a sectional view on the line 55, Fig. 4.

With reference to Fig. 1, the reference numeral I designates a spool which is mounted for free vertical sliding movement upon a spindle 2, which carries a rotatable flyer mechanism 3. A bar 4 is adapted for operation by suitable means to effect a vertical reciprocation oi the spool l upon the stem 2 as the composite formed cord 5 is wound thereon by the flyer mechanism, to thereby effect a proper distribution of the cord on the spool. The flyer mechanism is rotated by a driven pulley 6 keyed to a tubular spindle T which projects from the upper end of the flyer mechanism, said pulley being driven from a suitable source of power by a beltt. A second pulley 8 is loosely mounted upon the spindle l and actuates a train of gears H to eifect rotation about their individual axes of two capstans l2, 2. The strip I3 of material which is to form the envelope of the composite cord is fed downwardly from spool or roll M through a guide IE to and into the upper end of the hollow spindle 7, and the wire l6 which forms the core is similarly fed downwardly from a spool ll through a guide It and centrally of the strip 3 to the top of the hollow spindle. As the strip l3 enters the rotating spindle i, it is folded longitudinally and simultaneously twisted around the wire core, as illustrated, so as to completely and uniformly enfold and embrace the latter. The composite cord thus formed passes down through the spindle to guide rolls 2!, from whence it passes outwardly around the capstan-s l2, to be twisted in accordance with the rotational speeds of the parts, and from the capstans, the cord passes downwardly through one of the tubular legs H! to the spool l.

The composite twisted cord formed by the aforedescribed operation, a section of which is illustrated in Fig. 2, is an entirely stable product in which the wire core is entirely embraced and embedded in the twisted wrapper. The wrapper has no tendency to separate from the core, and the core and the envelope will retain their original relative positions under all normal conditions of use.

In Fig. 3, I have illustrated a modified form of composite cord wherein a strip 2! of suitable material such as paper is in effect folded longitudinally around two parallel spaced wires 22, 22 which constitute the core. The cord thus produced, instead of having the cylindrical form of the cord 5 described above, is in the nature of a flat ribbon, but in other respects possesses the same desirable physical characteristics of the previously described cord. A composite ribbon of this character has been found highly adapted for use in connection with certain types of plants where a relatively broad flat contact surface between the cord and the plant is desirable. A composite ribbon of this character may be produced economically upon mechanism of the character illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5. The strip 2! which forms the envelope is guided from a roll 23 over an adhcsive-applyingroller and a guide pulley 25 to a forming tube 26. Simultaneously, the wires 22, 2.2 are fed into the former at the adhesive-coated face of the strip ill. The former 2F} folds the strip 2i longitudinally around the wires 22, 22 with the edges of the strip in lapped relation, but more or less loosely, and the operation is completed in a second former 2'5 which shapes the composite strip to its fiat ribbon form, as shown in F g. 5. Tl1eroafter, the composite strip Letween resiltnt presser rolls 23, 23, which in effect Lon the strip flat at the faces and insure a proper bondin. together of the adhesive-coated surfaces. A composite ribbon of this character is not only highly eiiicient for certain horticultural purpc but is additionally Well adapted for reception on its fiat faces of printed advertising matter.

It will be apparent that the scope of the invention perm considerable latitude in the form of the composite cord, and also in the choice of materials which constitute the component elements. If paper is employed in the envelope, which material has been found desirable by reason in part of its relative cheapness, I pr to employ a good grade of Kraft paper h ing in itself substantial degree of toughness 1d tensile strength. It may be desirable to treat the paper envelope either before or subseoi' nt to the formation of the composite cord w suitable sizing ma erial conferring moistnreresistant or water-proof characteristics. It will be understood further that the envelope may consist of a plurality of strips of mat and is not limited to the use of a single strip, as in the illustrated embodiments.

I claim:

A flexible cord for attaching plants or the ike to supports as described, said cord a core of wire. and an envelope of soft strip material of vegetable composition 1"lgitudinally enfolding and completely embroc consisting of core and envelope, being l together about the longitudinal of 1... co r. and being thereby unified and sta led in their respective positions. said core being substantially non-resilient and conferring tonsil... strength and a degree of stiffness facilitating attachment. of the cord to the plant and to the plant support and providing for securely and releasably unit'- ing the free ends of the cord without knot-tine, and said envelope forming a protective cush' n. 6 between the core and the plant preclnsive of damage to the latter by abrasion or cutting.

EARL W. TWITCHELL. 

